What do you think of the Neocatechumenal Way?

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Hi there, Just want to know if anyone has heard whether the Statutes of the Neocatechumenate have been officially approved. I have heard various rumours but nothing definite.

On subject of response to letter from Cardinal Arinze. I have been told that the Holy Father spoke to Kiko and told him that it was ok for them to stand for Communion and that would cover all that was said in the letter! Does anyone know if this is true.

I always believed that Kiko would get around that one but cannot believe that the Holy Father would allow this discrepancy as they would still all be receiving the Body of Christ at the same time as the Priest and before the Priest receives the blood of Christ. They were supposed to fall in line with the regular Church and I was hoping it would cover reception of Communion by hand or by tongue. That has been dismissed. Kiko has simply interpreted as the ‘sitting’ was what was wrong. I might be simple but I don’t think that was what was meant in the letter. Also in our Parish there is no sign of the Communities going to Mass once a month as was asked in the letter. There are still one,two and sometimes even three Eucharists every Saturday night.

Please let me know if anyone hears anything. God bless.
 
nightengale said:
Hi there, Just want to know if anyone has heard whether the Statutes of the Neocatechumenate have been officially approved. I have heard various rumours but nothing definite.

On subject of response to letter from Cardinal Arinze. I have been told that the Holy Father spoke to Kiko and told him that it was ok for them to stand for Communion and that would cover all that was said in the letter! Does anyone know if this is true.

I always believed that Kiko would get around that one but cannot believe that the Holy Father would allow this discrepancy as they would still all be receiving the Body of Christ at the same time as the Priest and before the Priest receives the blood of Christ. They were supposed to fall in line with the regular Church and I was hoping it would cover reception of Communion by hand or by tongue. That has been dismissed. Kiko has simply interpreted as the ‘sitting’ was what was wrong. I might be simple but I don’t think that was what was meant in the letter. Also in our Parish there is no sign of the Communities going to Mass once a month as was asked in the letter. There are still one,two and sometimes even three Eucharists every Saturday night.

Please let me know if anyone hears anything. God bless.
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Hi there…sorry to hear there are issues in your parish. I just LOVE the spin these NeoCats like to use. It’s not that it’s “ok” to stand for communion, it’s that they MUST. The letter to the Neocatechumal Way leadership from Cardinal Arinze in December 2005 has the following instruction:
  • The NCW have to use the approved liturgical books without adding or omitting anything. In other words, they have to use the same lectionary and sacramentary/rubrics that the rest of us use.
  • They have to start using the other eucharistic prayers, instead of the paraphrase of Eucharistic Prayer II, as they normally do.
  • NCW communities have to assist at the parish Sunday Mass at least once a month.
  • In December of 2005 they were given two years to get all their communities to stop receiving communion seated around a decorated table. They have to start using the same process everyone else uses, by standing and coming up in line and using an altar specifically consecrated for use at the Holy Sacrifice and with the materials approved by the liturgy documents, as well as properly mandated extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and all (obviously, the preference being the priest himself.)
  • They were reminded in the letter that only a priest or deacon can give a homily at Mass. This was delineated because of their practice of “echoing,” or giving some sort of testimony of how a reading resonates in a lector’s life. These can be pretty long-winded and sometimes overshadow the homily because they sometimes resemble a homily. But it is permitted in the liturgy documents to offer some short explanation of the readings beforehand, but only for pastoral reasons (like the comprehension level of the faithful is below reading levels, say).
  • They are allowed to continue using the Sign of Peace before the offertory, instead of as part of the Communion Rite. The letter categorizes this as an indult, but “pending further instructions.” It means this is under review as well.
A link to the text of the letter is here.

Keep in mind that the date of that letter from Cardinal Arinze was December 1, 2005. Technically, they have a few more days to comply with these directives.

By the way, their statutes were approved by JPII in 2002.

I forget if your pastor is part of the NCW or not. Maybe it’s wise at this point to talk to your diocesan Office of Liturgy, or even to the Bishop himself. Take a print-out of the letter with you. It’s very, very clear what is expected of them. Isn’t the NCW double-talk frustrating?

May I suggest a novena to St. Pius X, patron of liturgy? Also, to St. Catherine of Siena because of her work in staving off a schism in the Church. I am praying for a positive resolution of all these issues, and I counsel that you put yourself in God’s hands and do the same while still exercising your rights under Canon law to make your spiritual and liturgical needs known to the Ordinary.

Peace!
 
Haven’t been on for over a year as have been very busy. I have heard that Statutes of neo-catechumenal way have been finally approved. This has been by word of mouth. No printed evidence. I then heard that Rome (can’t remember the exact group but probably one on liturgy) has found serious heresies in Kiko’s teaching. Surprise! What have we been saying for years. If anyone has accurate information on Statutes please advise. God bless.
 
Hm, while I can understand where some of you are coming from in your anger toward the Neocatechumenal Way, I have to disagree.

I’m a 20 year old girl and I’ve basically been in the Way since I was in gradeschool. I loved in when I was younger and it really made me excited about my faith, but once I entered Jr High I really began to resent it because I wanted to go out and party with my friends, instead of going to Mass every Saturday night. It really sucked. However, you know I have to say, looking back now some of the happiest moments I’ve had were with the people in my community.

I think that the Neocatechumenal Way is special because many of these individuals are people I would never talk to or be friends with had I not been given the opportunity to understand their lives better- pretty much forced to put up w/ them you know? Growing with a small community in faith is a really powerful experience, and not one that I’ve ever gotten from shaking a strangers hand at Sunday Mass. I can say Peace be with you, but in the end we go our separate ways.

You know, I despised the way for so many years and blamed it for everything wrong in my life that I fail to see how blessed I have been. If it were not for the way, my parents were headed for divorce, and my youngest little sisters would not exist. And poor me that I had to miss the underage drinking parties and…well I can honestly say I would have been pregnant right now if not for it. I quit my community for over a year because I was angry at my parents and angry at the catechists, blaming them for my problems in life, but now that I have been following my own will I find that I am miserable.

To see all of the youth from the Way lining the streets singing and dancing to greet the Pope in Washington DC, and New York, unashamed of their faith or what their peers would think, it was a powerful experience, and I want to have a faith like that. So, I’ve decided to return even though my parents aren’t making me go anymore.

By the way, to the person who spoke about the communities having a penance service in a concentration camp, I think I went w a diff group but I was there! 🙂 My community went to Buchenwald and we had reconciliation outside in the field where the Nazi’s disposed the ashes thousands of the Jews. It was seriously one of the most powerful experiences of my life and I’ve never felt closer to God than I did on that pilgrimage. So to anyone who says that the Way is a brainwashing cult or whatever, I feel sorry for you because if that is what you want to believe, you will never be able to appreciate all the good that it has done for the Catholic church.
 
Do not be deceived folks. The Neocatechumenal Way --is what it is. The mental manipulation done within the Neocatechumenal communities is comparable to what happened with Jim Jones and his Peoples Temple.
 
Walking_Home said:
Do not be deceived folks. The Neocatechumenal Way --is what it is. The mental manipulation done within the Neocatechumenal communities is comparable to what happened with Jim Jones and his Peoples Temple.
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Well, if I am being deceived than at least I am being deceived into wanting to learn more about the Catholic faith. If it weren’t for the Neocatechumenate, I would seriously not have any of my younger siblings and also, I would have fallen away from the faith after highschool. I have gotten alot out of it.

I know that I don’t have true faith in God, and I can see that I reject Him daily in my sins…and many times I have felt unworthy of his love and mercy. But through the Neocatechumenal Way I’m slowly realizing that God does have a plan for me in my life and that he is calling me to be a sign for others of the faith. I don’t think I’m better than any of you…it’s just that I need a little more from the church than just going to mass once a week on Sundays. I’m sorry if that offends anyone.
 
Well, if I am being deceived than at least I am being deceived into wanting to learn more about the Catholic faith. If it weren’t for the Neocatechumenate, I would seriously not have any of my younger siblings and also, I would have fallen away from the faith after highschool. I have gotten alot out of it.
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Prime example of mental manipulation. Without the Neocatechumenate --“people loose the faith”. The young-- whether born into the Neocatechumenate or brought in via other means–are manipulated into believing that their lives would be in peril without the Neocatechumenate. It is drummed into them continuously–that they would be drug addicts, alcoholics, etc, etc, — until in their minds they come to believe that is what they were --and therefore “saved” by the Neocatechumenals.
 
Walking_Home said:
Prime example of mental manipulation. Without the Neocatechumenate --“people loose the faith”. The young-- whether born into the Neocatechumenate or brought in via other means–are manipulated into believing that their lives would be in peril without the Neocatechumenate. It is drummed into them continuously–that they would be drug addicts, alcoholics, etc, etc, — until in their minds they come to believe that is what they were --and therefore “saved” by the Neocatechumenals.
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I’m sorry, but that is simply not true at all. I am not a drug addict or an alcoholic, nor have I ever been told I was an alcoholic. Nor am I of the mindset that Neocatechumenate= THE faith, but rather one of many ways available to Catholics to come to a deeper understanding of it.

That said, certainly as Catholics it is important to have an understanding of the core teachings of our faith, and participate in the sacraments. There is nothing wrong with the Catholic that goes to Mass every Sunday. Nothing at all. But for me, I personally have a really short attention span, and to be honest, the Sunday Masses bore me to death. There’s little singing…the readings go by faster than I can blink, I’ve forgotten them the moment I walk out the door. Maybe it’s your thing, but it’s not mine.

Similar to how some Catholics (including myself) enjoy the Latin Masses, while others can’t stand them.

Anyway, I take it you must have had a bad experience with the Way at some point in your life? Otherwise, I don’t see how you can have such hatred for something you don’t know.
 
I continue to have a good experience in the “Way”.

It gives me an opportunity to study God’s Word more deeply than I would at Mass. It’s not that there aren’t other avenues that would give me a similar experience. It is just that this works for me. I recognize I was poorly catecized as I grew up and need to learn more.

I don’t consider myself in a cult - I suppose some would say that’s because I’ve been deceived. I have found myself growing in my faith, gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to be Catholic.

I have not found any pressure to remain in the Way, no pressure to give money, time, etc.
 
My wife and I have gone throuh the first 11 weeks of the way in our Parish.They now want us to go on a retreat weekend.
I have not found anything offensive in what they have talked about so far.From what I have been reading about the way it looks like I am in for a big change once the initial phase has eneded.I am reading about being asked to give somehing of great value to them ,that they have nothing written about what the way is about or how the phases change.I really don’t want to get involved in some kind of sect .It seems like the way is paying no attention to the letter that wants changes made to thier Mass and that it seems they are apart from everyone else who goes to Mass regularly.It seems like they will divide the Parish and it is like having two different churches.I am not sure which way to go with this.I want more from the Church but this is all they are offering in the Parish for adults.
 
I am part of the Neocatechumenal Way and I can say that it has drawn me closer to God. It is truly a “Christian Initiation”, designed for fallen away catholics who do not regularly go to Church. For all those who criticize it with little foundations, all I can say is what Jesus said : “You will know them by theiir fruits”, and the fruits of this reality are thousands of vacations to the priesthood, hundreds of families in mission, people coming back into the church, and so many more fruits. Everything that is from the Lord will always be a sign of contradiction, but “the gates of hell will never plevail” againts our church, for that reason is the the statutes of the way have been fully approven by the church, who is wise.
 
Walking_Home said:
Do not be deceived folks. The Neocatechumenal Way --is what it is. The mental manipulation done within the Neocatechumenal communities is comparable to what happened with Jim Jones and his Peoples Temple.
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**OTOH, if it’s as bad as some of the early posts in the thread suggest, it’s hard to see that Opus Dei is any worse - or better. OD is often accused of manipulation; so is the CC. It stands to reason that former members of a group would be bitter - they’ve probably give a lot of time & energy to what they formerly supported. But can such critics be trusted to be impartial & fair ? **​

**The orders of friars were bitterly criticised when they began - bishops were not always fond of them, to put it mildly. Even the accusation of manipulation is not new. Was St. Paul not vulnerable to accusations of manipulation ? It’s a very easy accusation to make. ****This doesn’t clear the Way, but it does suggest that the criticisms of them deserve to be taken with a pinch or two of salt. If this thread were about paedophile clergy, people would be tying themselves into knots pointing out that bad things happen in a Church of imperfect people; if there is any worth in that defence, why can’t that defence be made on behalf of the Way ? **
 
Gottle_of_Geer said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walking_Home View Post
Do not be deceived folks. The Neocatechumenal Way --is what it is. The mental manipulation done within the Neocatechumenal communities is comparable to what happened with Jim Jones and his Peoples Temple.

**OTOH, if it’s as bad as some of the early posts in the thread suggest, it’s hard to see that Opus Dei is any worse - or better. OD is often accused of manipulation; so is the CC. It stands to reason that former members of a group would be bitter - they’ve probably give a lot of time & energy to what they formerly supported. But can such critics be trusted to be impartial & fair ? **​

**The orders of friars were bitterly criticised when they began - bishops were not always fond of them, to put it mildly. Even the accusation of manipulation is not new. Was St. Paul not vulnerable to accusations of manipulation ? It’s a very easy accusation to make. ****This doesn’t clear the Way, but it does suggest that the criticisms of them deserve to be taken with a pinch or two of salt. If this thread were about paedophile clergy, people would be tying themselves into knots pointing out that bad things happen in a Church of imperfect people; if there is any worth in that defence, why can’t that defence be made on behalf of the Way ? **
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As far as I know — what Opus Dei teaches is Catholic. While the Neocatechumenal “theology” is not.
 
juliosonpower said:
I am part of the Neocatechumenal Way and I can say that it has drawn me closer to God. It is truly a “Christian Initiation”, designed for fallen away catholics who do not regularly go to Church. For all those who criticize it with little foundations, all I can say is what Jesus said :** “You will know them by theiir fruits”, and the fruits of this reality are thousands of vacations to the priesthood, hundreds of families in mission, people coming back into the church, and so many more fruits. ** Everything that is from the Lord will always be a sign of contradiction, but “the gates of hell will never plevail” againts our church,** for that reason is the the statutes of the way have been fully approven by the church,** who is wise.
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You are right —“you will know them by their fruits”. Where the Neocatechumenals go – the Church suffers. The Mass turns into the peoples plaything — indifferentism florishes. The vocations to the Neocatechumenal “priesthood” only serve to further undermine the Church. We have been living the Neocatechumenal “fruits” for the last 40 yrs,

Here is some information for you – The experimentum period of the Neocatechumenal statutes came to an end in June of 2007. Since then — the Church has Not approved the continuation of the statutes. Arguello and his “catechists” have been deceiving and feeding you bunk – if they have told you the statutes have been “fully approved”.
 
Walking_Home said:
You are right —“you will know them by their fruits”. Where the Neocatechumenals go – the Church suffers. The Mass turns into the peoples plaything — indifferentism florishes. The vocations to the Neocatechumenal “priesthood” only serve to further undermine the Church. We have been living the Neocatechumenal “fruits” for the last 40 yrs,

Here is some information for you – The experimentum period of the Neocatechumenal statutes came to an end in June of 2007. Since then — the Church has Not approved the continuation of the statutes. Arguello and his “catechists” have been deceiving and feeding you bunk – if they have told you the statutes have been “fully approved”.
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Do not pay attention to those who know nothing about which they speak!

zenit.org/article-22897?l=english
 
**Neocatechumenal Way receives final Vatican approval

**
Code: 
  	Vatican,  		 			Jun. 13, 2008 		 		 		 (CWNews.com) 		  		  -  	  	  	 		 			The Vatican has formally approved the statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way.
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Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, has signed a decree affirming the Vatican approval. Kiko Arguello, the founder of the lay movement, was in Rome to receive a copy of the decree and the approved statutes.
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cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=59074

Well, if the Vatican approves it then surely it is a good thing right? 🤷:confused:
 
Hi, I just want to put it out there…

I’ve been in the Neo for 14 years.
I am 14 years old 🙂

I have to say, I had my doubts once I was officially part of a community, busy schedule and all.
On the contrary, lately, everything has just been an awesome enlightenment. I took a week off of school last year to fly to NYC and DC to see the Pope. Spectacular!
I also got involved with a lot of youth-based activities and I’m inspired more each day. I see all the negative criticism and I kind of don’t blame the folks. It is a bit weird. but I assure you, everything is really deep and involving :]

God Bless
 
Peace be with you,

First off, i have to say that i truly feel sorry for all the **empty-headed jackasses **that say that this is a heresy. This is NOT a heresy. This is the true way that will lead to everlasting life in heaven with God.
second of all, if you don’t have anything intelligent to say I highly suggest not to say it at all.

YES the Neocatechumenal Way has been approved and signed and deemed CATHOLIC! It has been studied for over for 40 years, and is accapted.

Finally, this is NOT a cult, like many of you have said in previous posts.This is the WAY, the way to everlasting life.

FIND OUT THE REAL TRUTH
camminoneocatecumenale.it/en/index.asp
 
pauldski said:
Peace be with you,

First off, i have to say that i truly feel sorry for all the **empty-headed jackasses **that say that this is a heresy. This is NOT a heresy. This is the true way that will lead to everlasting life in heaven with God.
second of all, if you don’t have anything intelligent to say I highly suggest not to say it at all.

YES the Neocatechumenal Way has been approved and signed and deemed CATHOLIC! It has been studied for over for 40 years, and is accapted.

Finally, this is NOT a cult, like many of you have said in previous posts.This is the WAY, the way to everlasting life.

FIND OUT THE REAL TRUTH
camminoneocatecumenale.it/en/index.asp
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If this “WAY” results in this kind of response (name calling), it is no wonder some will label it heretical.
 
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